“Tourismphobia and the idea that tourists are not welcome are hurting us greatly”Wayne Ankers, Miles O’Leary Senior Content Editor and Lotti OBrien
10:52, 30 Jul 2025
Protests against mass tourism take place In Spain And Portugal(Image: Getty)
Spain is urgently beckoning British holidaymakers to come back after a series of anti-tourism protests have left holiday resorts eerily quiet.
The popular European holiday destination has seen a significant decline in the number of tourists following a string of local protests over recent summers, which have led Brits to look for other places to spend their holidays. Spanish tourism officials are now earnestly appealing to UK travellers to reconsider Spain, admitting that the demonstrations have “scared away visitors”.
Speaking to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, Miguel Perez-Marsa, who leads the nightlife association, expressed concern: “The tourists we’re interested in are being driven away; they don’t feel welcome and are going to other destinations.”
The Express reported that residents had protested on streets and beaches against rising housing costs and the environmental toll of tourism.
Pedro Oliver, the president of the College of Tour Guides, has noted a stark drop in business, with tour bookings down by 20% this summer. He pointed out that it’s not just British tourists staying away but also German and Italian ones, reports Yorkshire Live.
“The anti-tourism messages are resonating,” he remarked. “If you generate negative news, which has repercussions in other countries, tourists opt for other destinations when choosing their holidays.”
Another tour operator has also reported fewer tourists this year.
“Tourismphobia and the idea that tourists are not welcome are hurting us greatly,” lamented Biel Rosales, president of tour operator Proguies Turistics. The company, which usually offers around 30 excursions per cruise, has seen this figure drop to just 12-14.
Recent statistics from May indicate a 1.6% decrease in Spain’s tourist numbers.
The downturn isn’t solely attributed to British holidaymakers, but changes in UK residents’ travel preferences seem to be having the most pronounced effect. Biel Moragues, a representative for a Majorcan taxi association, remarked: “British tourists are the most upset by the protests and have changed their holiday destination.”
Lesley Johnson, 66, originally from Leicester and now a long-term resident of Majorca, shared with MailOnline: “This area used to have a lot of British bars and pubs, and they would hold quiz leagues and dance leagues.
“Back then, if you went along this street at 7pm at night, you couldn’t walk up, it would be full of tourists, but now it’s completely dead.
“A lot of the Germans and Brits – they’ve just gone home.”
While many point to the protests as the main cause of the tourism slump, there are suggestions that other issues like traffic jams, increased living costs, and diminished spending power are also contributing factors.
Contrastingly, Jordi Mora, president of the Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises of Majorca (Pinem), boldly stated that there has been no decline in tourist numbers at all.
He indicated that his federation’s latest report “pointed to a 5% growth compared to 12% last year.”